1
as in irrelevant
not being a vital part of or belonging to something
the architect's streamlined modern style shuns any sort of extraneous ornamentation
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in immaterial
not having anything to do with the matter at hand
the professor would have covered all of the course material if she had refrained from her extraneous remarks on just about everything
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of extraneous
The brand’s green values also drive the aesthetics — the clothing is stylish, and there’s not a lot of excess fabric, or extraneous detail.
—
Samantha Conti, WWD, 30 Jan. 2025
There is no need for this extraneous material; the focus should’ve remained on the operation itself.
—Murtada Elfadl, Variety, 7 Sep. 2024
That bill was set for passage this week before Elon Musk went ballistic on social platform X, pointing out some real extraneous spending, as well as some misinformation, about what was in the bill.
—Jonathan Easley, The Hill, 20 Dec. 2024
The expert’s role is to extract and authenticate the relevant data while filtering out extraneous information.
—Lars Daniel, Forbes, 6 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for extraneous
Samantha Conti, WWD, 30 Jan. 2025
There is no need for this extraneous material; the focus should’ve remained on the operation itself.
—Murtada Elfadl, Variety, 7 Sep. 2024
That bill was set for passage this week before Elon Musk went ballistic on social platform X, pointing out some real extraneous spending, as well as some misinformation, about what was in the bill.
—Jonathan Easley, The Hill, 20 Dec. 2024
The expert’s role is to extract and authenticate the relevant data while filtering out extraneous information.
—Lars Daniel, Forbes, 6 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for extraneous
Recent Examples of Synonyms for extraneous
Adjective
-
The rationale is straightforward: like early-stage startups in the dot-com era, some of these assets may eventually prove valuable, whereas many others will likely become irrelevant.—
Christian Catalini,
Forbes,
7 Mar. 2025
-
What’s practical for one person may be irrelevant for another.—
Chris Gallagher,
USA TODAY,
6 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
Officials confirmed that no external trauma was seen on either Hackman or Arakawa, and New Mexico authorities promptly launched a criminal investigation into their deaths.—
Tracy Wright,
Fox News,
7 Mar. 2025
-
The initial findings from the autopsies found no external trauma on either of the bodies, Mendoza said.—
Alex Sundby,
CBS News,
7 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
And that is not something extrinsic, imposed by regulation or taxation, but inherent to the way the company conceives of itself, its ownership structure, its governance, its performance metrics, its finances — everything.—
IESE Business School,
Forbes,
25 Feb. 2025
-
Those sensors detect the subtle vibrations that are transmitted to the extrinsic laryngeal muscles (in the neck) from other anatomical locations including the velum, oropharynx, tongue, and epiglottis.—
Ben Coxworth,
New Atlas,
21 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
The patchy and adventitious quality of Jameson’s reconstruction must make clear his difference as a thinker.—
Mark Greif,
Harper's Magazine,
26 July 2024
-
The cut appears to have been high enough that the stump should still have enough adventitious buds to regrow.—
Jonathan Edwards,
Washington Post,
3 Oct. 2023
Adjective
-
Cena later handed that watch over to Scott, who entered the fray and started unwinding on Rhodes; wrestling fans on social media are debating whether Scott made actual (and accidental) contact with the bloodied Rhodes, who seemed to genuinely wince after Scott’s punches.—
Daniel Kreps,
Rolling Stone,
2 Mar. 2025
-
It will be laid on the seabed to a depth of up to 4.3 miles (7 km), with some lengths in shallow waters being buried to protect against accidental or intentional interference.—
David Szondy,
New Atlas,
1 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Extraneous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/extraneous. Accessed 13 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share